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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2016)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | March 18, 2016 | PAGE 5 Pension fund investment creates union construction jobs in Lake Oswego Above is a rendering of Block 137 — a four-story, mixed-use devel- opment with upscale apartments, retail, and underground parking. Each of the three concrete and steel-framed buildings are consistent with the Lake Oswego design character. Block 137 sits on 2-1/2 acres in the heart of downtown Lake Oswego. The all-union-built project is being financed through a union pension investment fund. Block 137 project supporters State Rep. Ann Lininger, Clacka- mas County Commissioner Martha Schrader, Lake Oswego Mayor Kent Studebaker, and Lake Oswego City Councilors Skip O’Neill , Charles Collins, and Jeff Gudman pose for a photo with union officials outside the Block 137 jobsite. It is the first large mixed-use redevelopment project in downtown Lake Os- wego in 15 years. BCTGM boycotts Made-in-Mexico Nabisco products Backed by the national AFL-CIO, the Bakers union (BCTGM) has launched a boycott of Mexican-made Nabisco products. The boycott is in protest of a decision by parent company Mondelēz to shut a Nabisco production line in Chicago and build a new $130 million production line in Mexico. About 600 Chicago workers — half the current workforce —will be permanently laid off beginning March 21. For the highly profitable company to outsource pro- duction to Mexico also shows an utter lack of gratitude: Chicago and the State of Illinois gave Nabisco $90 million in tax breaks from 1993 to 2003 in ex- change for assurances it would keep making Oreos, Fig Newtons and other products in Chicago. Many Nabisco products are still made in America by union workers, including in Portland, so consumers are asked to “Check the Label” and don’t buy Made in Mexico. Union pension funds are financ- ing a $103 million redevelop- ment of Block 137, also referred to as the Wizer Block, in down- town Lake Oswego. The loca- tion was once home to union- ized Wizer’s Oswego Foods supermarket. Seven building trades unions have about $50 million in direct pension funds invested in the project. They are Sheet Metal Workers, Glaziers, Floor Cover- ers, Carpenters, Bricklayers, Painters, and Electrical Workers. Block 137 is a 290,000- square-foot, four-story mixed- use project with 200 upscale apartment units, nearly 43,000 square feet of commercial space, and 430 underground parking spaces, of which 155 spaces will be public parking. Developers are targeting a LEED green building Gold certification. It is a 100 percent union job —expected to generate more than 1 million hours of con- struction work over 24 months. It is slated for completion in fall 2017. “That’s a lot of jobs, and a lot of training for our apprentice- ship programs,” said Willy My- ers, executive secretary of the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council. Block 137 is a joint venture between the Multi-Employer Property Trust and PHK Devel- opment. Bentall Kennedy is the real estate adviser for MEPT. Lease Crutcher Lewis is the general contractor. MEPT is a real estate equity fund with 327 pension fund clients. The company has a re- sponsible contractor policy that requires all contractors working on its portfolio properties be sig- natory with trade unions. Eleven properties in Oregon make up a portion of their portfolio. Those 11 investments have created 6 million work hours, with an eco- nomic impact of over $1 billion. Amy Price, president and chief operating officer of Bentall Kennedy, said Block 137 aligns perfectly with their investment strategy of finding projects that perform well over the long term. “The Portland area is on everyone’s radar,” she said at a gathering at the jobsite March 8 with union officials, local politi- cians, and developers. Myers said the building trades are eager to deliver proj- ects “that not only we’re proud of, but projects the community will be proud of. Block 137 is a prime example.” Bowl for MDA set for April 17 The 27th annual Labor Bowl Challenge for Muscular Dystro- phy will be held Sunday, April 17, from noon to 2:30 p.m. at Sunset Lanes, 12770 SW Walker Road, Beaverton. Registration opens at 11 a.m. The event is coordinated by the National Association of Letter Carri- ers (NALC) Branch 82 and the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, and includes a silent auction. Since its inception in 1989, union members have raised nearly $400,000 for MDA. For more information, or to sign up and receive fundraising pack- ets and instructions, call Jim Falvey, president of Letter Carriers Branch 82 at 503-493-5903. To donate silent auction items, call Kyle Ellerbe at 503-223-3177 or email kellerbe@ mdausa.org.
